‘Obama shouldn’t poke his nose in Indian affairs’

Hyderabad: Taking exception to the comments of US President Barack Obama on the investment climate in India, Communist Party of India (CPI) on Monday said India should tell him not "poke his nose into Indian affairs".

"Obama`s comment comes on the heels of Time magazine`s assessment on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a person who could not complete reforms. These are tactics to pressurise the Indian government to surrender to their dictates. This is nothing but arrogant, uncalled for interference in the internal affairs of our country," CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy said in a statement here tonight.

"India cannot mend its economic policies to satisfy the masters of MNCs and US investors. Obama`s statement is like the `Opium war on China` by Europeans in the 19th century. The reforms that are being proposed by Obama go against the interests of India and its people," he said.

He demanded the Centre display "courage to tell Obama not to poke his nose into Indian affairs and reject his demands".

US President Barack Obama, in an interview to PTI, had noted that it is still too hard to invest in India. "In too many sectors, such as retail, India limits or prohibits the foreign investment, which is necessary for India to continue to grow," the US President had stated.